Season 7 • Episode 15
LatestBoy stops school bus when the driver collapses (October 3, 1995. Saint Louis, Missouri); Four children hit by a car are treated at University Medical Center (July 6, 1995. Las Vegas, Nevada); Water-skier on kneeboard slams into trees (October 26, 1991. North Little Rock, Arkansas); Baby opens door and falls from moving pickup (April 15, 1995. Loves Park, Illinois); Boy collapses in snow while trying to walk home in sub-zero temperatures (January 18, 1994. Detroit, Michigan)
Rescue 911 is an informational reality-based television series that premiered on April 18, 1989 and ended on August 27, 1996. The series was hosted by William Shatner and featured reenactments of emergency situations that often involved calls to 911. Though never intended as a teaching tool, various viewers used the knowledge they obtained watching the show. Two specials, titled "100 Lives Saved" and "200 Lives Saved," were dedicated to viewers who had written to CBS with their stories on how the knowledge they obtained watching the show allowed them to save the life of someone else. At least 350 lives have been saved as a result of what viewers learned from watching it. The show's popularity coincided with the widespread adoption of the 911 emergency system, replacing standalone police and fire numbers that would vary from municipality to municipality. The number is now universally understood in the United States and Canada to be the number dialed for emergency assistance nationwide.
Acting
Amateur reenactors giving 110% in 'woman choking at Olive Garden' scenes.
Production
Genuine 911 audio layered over Shatner's melodramatic narration.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The show helped standardize 911 adoption nationwide—before this, your town might've used 311, 411, or some random seven-digit number.
Shatner reportedly filmed all his narration in single marathon sessions, which explains the increasingly unhinged energy in later seasons.
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